Andrew Garfield leads a peasant revolt in The Uprising movie, Paul Greengrass’s historical epic about the 1381 English uprising against King Richard II.
Paul Greengrass looked at the medieval period and decided what it needed was shaky-cam and class warfare. The Uprising movie poster just dropped, and Andrew Garfield is leading a peasant army against a teenage king with absolutely nothing to lose.
The Uprising is an action period drama written and directed by Greengrass, following the English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Garfield stars as Wat Tyler, a farmer who becomes the unlikely leader of a rebellion against the forces of 14-year-old King Richard II. The cast includes Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, and Katherine Waterston. Jason Blum produces through Blumhouse, with Focus Features distributing. The film is scheduled for release on September 11, 2026.
The Uprising Movie Started As Three Different Films
The Uprising movie has been through more identity changes than a spy in a Cold War thriller. It began life at Cannes 2022 as The Hood, with Benedict Cumberbatch attached to star and FilmNation producing. By early 2025, it had been retitled The Rage, Matthew McConaughey had replaced Cumberbatch, and Jason Blum had boarded through Blumhouse. Then McConaughey exited, Andrew Garfield entered negotiations, and Focus Features bought domestic distribution for a reported $11 million. The title changed one final time to The Uprising, and principal photography finally began in September 2025 across Bavaria.
Greengrass shot the film in Germany’s Franconia region and at Penzing Studios near Munich, reportedly recruiting up to 5,000 extras for the battle sequences. That scale explains why Focus Features is positioning it as a major fall release rather than a quiet awards-season entry. The poster shows Garfield in period armor, dirt on his face, fire in the background, and the kind of intense stare that suggests he has already seen the crown’s forces do something unforgivable. It’s like Braveheart if William Wallace had better cheekbones and a worse haircut.
When was the last time a period revolt film felt this dangerously relevant?
September 11 is the date to mark. The Uprising movie arrives in a fall corridor that includes A Practical Magic sequel, which means Garfield’s peasant army will be fighting for screens against Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. If Greengrass brings the same visceral urgency he applied to Bloody Sunday and United 93, this could be the historical epic that reminds us why the director is one of the best in the business.
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